Hunt: Showdown 1896 - 15 Tips For Beginners

Summary

• Extracting the bounty and surviving to the extract require patience and strategy to outwit enemy hunters.
• Use custom ammo and bring melee weapons to efficiently clear enemies while staying quiet to avoid attracting attention.
• Pay attention to spawn locations, watch out for loot, and buy traits to enhance gameplay and gain advantages in tough fights.

From being dropped into the Bayou to extracting the first bounty, Hunt: Showdown 1896 brings creepy creatures and deadly environments that keep tensions high. It's a race between hunters to grab the bounty and escape before being overrun by foes.

Hunt: Showdown - 10 Best Equipment

Equipment can be easily forgotten, but it's crucial to surviving the swamps of Hunt: Showdown.

Even with gripping gameplay, the ways of the Bayou can be hard to master. When exploring ruins and swamps, fighting both people and creatures alike, only the best make it out alive. Luckily, Hunt: Showdown equips you with the best weapons and equipment a hunter could ask for, but how you use them is all down to you.

Updated on October 3, 2024 by Drew Ferguson: Hunt: Showdown has become Hunt: Showdown 1896, and a lot of things have changed! There's a whole new map, many weapons work very differently, and the meta has seen some shakeups. It's as exhilarating and difficult as ever to survive the Hunt, and some more tips might help take you that much further.

15 Dark Sight And Bounty Carriers

Once you've managed to secure the bounty, you've got a new job; surviving to the extract. You've suddenly become the main character in a game where that's generally a bad thing, and everybody is going to be gunning for what you've got. Luckily, having the bounty token gives you a distinct advantage; you can see where enemy Hunters are while in Dark Sight, all the way to 150 meters.

Unfortunately, this bonus only lasts for five seconds of Dark Sight time, so make it count. It's worth using one second initially to check the landscape, and then only use it sparingly when you're sure something must have changed. If you'd like more bad news, holding the bounty token means every Hunter on the map can see where you are either by checking the map for lightning bolts, or going into Dark Sight. But, theirs is a little less accurate than yours, not letting them pin your location down exactly.

14 Keep An Eye On Your Money

Everything you use in Hunt: Showdown 1896 costs Hunt Dollars. These Hunt Dollars are not too difficult to come by, but by the same token, many items in the game cost a hefty amount. Keep an eye on how much your loadout costs, and consider recouping some of your losses on a free Hunter if you're getting low.

One easy way to manage this is by taking in fresh Hunters with little gear, and then slowly gearing them up for each extraction they make. They'll be making money by investigating clues and extracting with tokens, and that money can go towards gearing them up. It ensures you don't spend what you haven't made, and keeps you from getting in dire straits.

13 Be Patient

Hunt: Showdown is different from many other shooters out there. Whoever coined the term 'Patience is a virtue' simply must have been a big Hunt fan, and they're undoubtedly right. Running around in Hunt with little regard for what's around is going to end up with you dead from someone you had no idea was there.

Hunt: Showdown 1896 - 6 Best Loadouts

Head out into Hunt: Showdown 1896 properly armed with these loadouts.

Instead, if you'd been patient, you might have heard that one little sound that alerted you to their presence. Often, a fight in Hunt is won inside the first few seconds because one team was paying more attention than the other. Be the team that wins that fight, and not the team getting looted.

12 Extract Campers

While not all of your matches are going to have an extract camper, you're going to have some that will. They're going to be set up around a carraige or a steamboat that's destined to take you to better seas, but if you get caught out by the extract campers, it's going to take you across the River Styx, instead.

If enemy Hunters are too close to that extract when you get there, you'll be alerted to their presence by either the horses becoming unsettled and neighing, or the whistle on the steamboat sounding off. If that happens, you probably aren't going to have the advantage in a fight where the enemy has established their positions and you've just arrived. Sometimes you have to take the fight anyways, and in that case, explosives can help push them out of their position(s).

11 Bring Custom Ammo

Nearly every weapon in Hunt can bring custom ammo as opposed to standard, and knowing what custom ammo does is going to make a huge difference in your outcome, especially in PvP. Most custom ammo excels in a certain situation, but comes with a drawback. Understand both of those, and you'll understand when you want to use it.

Certain ammo is definitely more useful than others, but rarely is any custom ammo useless; some just have very narrow use cases. Some of the most useful special ammo, especially for fighting enemy Hunters, is Dumdum, High Velocity if fighting in longer ranges, and FMJ if you want the option to shoot through walls.

10 Play To The Objective

The objective in Hunt: Showdown seems simple: collect the clues, kill the target, extract the bounty, and escape. In reality, there's much more to consider, including other players and dangerous creatures that stand in the way.

These factors can quickly distract you from the main objective, which makes it easy for other players to sneak in and take the bounty before you've discovered it. Focusing on the main objective will not only give you the most experience at the end of the match but is also the best way to familiarise yourself with the game's environment.

9 Use Melee Weapons To Clear Adds

Hunt: Showdown is filled with all kinds of lethal enemies ready to take down the first hunter that crosses their path. Fighting them is inevitable, so it's best if it's done right. A gun will take enemies out quickly and from far away, but the noise will draw other hunters to your position.

Using a knife or other melee weapon will get the job done quickly and easily without creating noise for other players to follow. If you don't take a knife with you, don't worry; the maps will have plenty of melee weapons for you to pick up and use. Clearing adds quietly will make a nice path to the bounty and give you a little extra experience on the side.

8 Special Enemies Won't Die Easily

While dealing with adds might be easy, some special enemies can be found that deal damage in particular ways. Some are much stronger than others, so it's important to learn when it's better to avoid them rather than risk a fight.

Hunt: Showdown 1896 - The 10 Biggest Changes From Hunt: Showdown

Tonight we're going to hunt like it's 1896.

Certain enemies will need to be killed in specific ways; otherwise, they'll become a bigger danger to you than other players. Special enemies can be identified by their physical features; they could be different in size, make certain noises, or move differently. Keeping an eye out for these creatures can make travelling safer and easier.

7 Don't Be Afraid To Fight

Engaging with other players may seem terrifying at first. The risk of losing a hunter to a much more experienced player can easily discourage you from seeking out fights. While you may be tempted to hide in the game's overgrown environment, fighting other players is the best way to get a feel for the game's combat.

There's no set way to approach fights; some groups wait for others to take the first shot while the rest will race in, ready for a battle. Getting involved with the PvP can help you learn your preferences while letting you explore the best areas and positions for fighting. Not only that, but you gain a nice amount of experience every time you take out an enemy hunter, too.

6 Try Out Different Weapons

It's hard to create intense fights if you don't have the right weapons. Thankfully, Hunt: Showdown comes with a whole range of them. From shotguns to crossbows, there are lots of weapon types to try out.

There's a high chance that every game will be completely different; some will have lots of fighting while others won't have any. Sticking to one weapon type will limit how the game can be played. By testing out weapons, you can uncover new ways of playing, whether it be finding a new love for ranged combat or an enjoyment for the thrill of close encounters.